How Up Flush Toilets Work

By HomeAdvisor

Updated November 30, 2016

What are Up Flush Toilets?

Standard toilets and standard flush toilets are more than acceptable for most home applications. Sometimes, though, standard toilets simply won’t cut it or are impractical to install in your home. New homeowners purchasing older homes often find remodeling a necessary step to getting what they want from their property.

An extra toilet can make the difference between making your dream home functional and convenient for your family. You may have heard about up flush toilets without knowing exactly how they work or what they have to offer your home. Before you spend a ton of money ripping your home apart, consider if these unique toilets can meet your needs.

How Up Flush Toilets Work

As the name suggest, these toilets flush your waste up, but not right away. The contents of your toilet are first dropped into a tank placed discreetly behind or next to your toilet. Here a macerator with a specially designed grinding blade reduces the waste to a manageable consistency. Once this process is complete the waste is pumped upward through a small discharge pipe.

Quality up flush toilets complete this process when you flush your toilet, meaning no waste sits in the macerator/pump unit and no maintenance or repair should be required because of this. You will need to be careful, though, that you don’t drop tough materials like rags into your toilet. Also, some corrosive cleaning products can cause damage to your macerator unit. Be sure to clean your toilet using only manufacturer-approved cleaning products.

When and Where You Should Use Up Flush Toilets

The most common situation which lends itself to an up flush toilet is the lack of a drain line where you want a toilet installed. This is usually a problem that comes up with home remodels. Choosing an up flush toilet will simplify your toilet installation, cutting down on the time it takes to complete your home remodel. You won’t have to tear up your floor or ruin your current home installations. Plus, up flush toilets can make temporary toilets (especially for the elderly or disabled) a viable home project.

The Cost of an Up Flush Toilet

Up flush toilets are more expensive than standard toilets, but only for the fixtures themselves. Where installation of a standard toilet can cost hundreds of dollars, an up flush toilet can often be installed almost anywhere in your home for less. In other words, if you already have the drain lines and plumbing set up for a standard toilet, you probably don’t need or want an up flush toilet. To install a new, unplanned toilet, however, the up flush design is likely to be the cheapest way to go.

Power Flush Toilets

Another kind of toilet problem is the inability of a toilet to completely flush your waste each time. Power flush toilets can deliver an additional 30% of the flushing power of standard toilets. This means you should never have to flush more than once and whatever you’re flushing should go down the first time. This flushing system reduces the chances of leaks, toilet repairs and will save you time, money, and headaches.

Power flush systems are generally more expensive, but depending on the system you choose, not much more expensive. Most power flush toilets are dual flush toilets, as they should be. While power flushing can help keep your toilet running smoothly, using that extra pressure is unnecessary every time you use your toilet. It’s also important to remember that just because you have a power flush toilet you cannot suddenly flush any old thing down it.

1 Comments

  1. Ronn Campbell, February 4:

    Have had flush up toilet for 30 years. Toilet sits 5″ atop receptacle for effluent. Wax ring has begun to leak very slightly, causing rotting flooring above receptacle. Have repaired once before by increasing flooring thickness from 5/8″ to 3/4 inch and doubling the wax ring. Have to repair again. ANY ideas about improving situation would be so appreciated. Thanks.

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